San Francisco, CA— Mayor London N. Breed announced the grand opening of Division Circle Navigation Center, which will help those living on the streets transition indoors and into permanent housing.

Division Circle will provide support and services for up to 125 individuals at a time. The Navigation Center is supported by State funds secured by Assemblymember Phil Ting and will occupy underutilized Caltrans land.

“This Navigation Center will help us get people off the streets and transitioned into permanent housing,” said Mayor Breed. “It is not enough to merely get people indoors, we know that we need to provide services to ensure they do not end up back on our streets. As a result of our strong partnership with our State representatives, we will be able help our most vulnerable residents get the care and shelter they need.”

Division Circle is located on land leased from Caltrans that was previously used as a parking lot. As a result of AB 857, introduced by Assemblymember Phil Ting, the City is able to use underutilized Caltrans locations like this one for emergency food and shelter programs at affordable rates.

“Navigation Centers combine shelter with services and have been a critical tool in moving people toward permanent housing. However, resources are limited. California has stepped up to support San Francisco so we can attack this homelessness crisis together,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting, Chair of the Budget Committee, who helped secure $10 million in last year’s state budget to open two more Navigation Centers in the City. “I look forward to working with Mayor Breed to implement more solutions.”

Navigation Centers are designed to serve San Franciscans struggling with homelessness who are often resistant to traditional shelters. Unlike traditional shelters, they allow people to bring their partners, pets, and belongings with them. In addition to room and board, case managers provide support to connect them with employment opportunities, health services, public benefits, and permanent housing.

Success leads to $10 million more in state funding

San Francisco, CA  - A new report, Market Match Impact Report, from Berkeley’s Ecology Center finds that giving CalFresh recipients incentives to buy fresh food at farmers’ markets leads to healthier diets. The program is called Market Match, and it enables low-income shoppers to get twice as much produce than they normally would. For instance, if they spent $10 of their benefits at the farmers’ market, they would get another $10 to spend on fresh produce. After two years, CalFresh recipients reported that:

• 73% increased the amount of fresh fruits & vegetables they buy each week
• 71% say their family’s health has improved
• 67% increased the number of trips to the farmers’ market

Researchers also found that changes in dietary intake, likely from nutrition incentives, were sufficient to result in a 1.7% reduction in Type 2 diabetes cases which, in California, translates into health care savings approaching $469 million a year. “Fresh food fuels a healthy lifestyle. By supporting local farmers, Market Match invests in our community and local economy,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), who helped secure state funding for the program as Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee. “Since the boost in funding, Market Match has seen a 453% jump in transactions.”

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded the Ecology Center a $3.7 million Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) grant to expand the Market Match program. Ting then helped secure $5 million in the state budget for California’s own grants to support programs like Market Match.

Citing the success of these public investments, Ting also announced an additional $10 million in funding from the latest state budget to extend the state grant program. “The Ecology Center is grateful that these funds have been secured for this incredibly popular and effective program because demand for Market Match currently outstrips supply. Now, more farmers’ markets and low-income shoppers will be able to participate,” says Ecology Center Food and Farming Director Carle Brinkman.

For more information about Market Match, please visit: www.MarketMatch.org.

Countless numbers of Californians have been complaining about the extraordinarily long wait times at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Even those with appointments are not being seen in a timely manner. To see how the Legislature can make improvements, Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) has called a hearing to be held on August 7^th at the State Capitol.

“I experienced long lines myself when I visited the San Francisco office last week. They were unbelievable. What Californians are experiencing at our DMVs is unacceptable,” said Ting. “It’ll get worse if we don’t fix it now because more and more Californians will be switching from their current driver license or state ID to the new federally-compliant Real ID card.” (This picture show the line I encountered at the DMV in San Francisco.)

Beginning October 2020, a Real ID is necessary to board a domestic flight or enter a federal facility. In anticipation of a growing demand to meet the deadline, the new California state budget allocated $16 million to the DMV to:

• Hire about 400 new people by mid-Fall
• Increase the number of offices offering Saturday service & expand those hours to every Saturday starting August 4 (currently 43 offices are open every 1^st & 3^rd Saturday)
• Upgrade the self-service kiosks
• Allow customers to start application process online for driver licenses and state IDs

“I’ve heard of people waiting seven hours to be seen as walk-ins. Online appointments are two months out with slots often available after their license or car registration has expired. This hearing will help us determine the best course forward and whether this year’s state funding is adequate,” said Ting, who is Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee.

While August 7^th at 11:00 a.m. has been set for the DMV hearing, a room number at the Capitol has not yet been assigned. More information to follow as the date gets closer.

In a continuing effort to address wait times at field offices throughout the state, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is increasing the number locations offering Saturday service. Starting August 4, 17 offices, including the one in Daly City, will be added to the current list of 43 sites open an extra day. Click here to see a complete list of locations open on Saturdays. Most transactions can be performed, except behind-the-wheel exams.

The DMV began Saturday service in June at select offices on every first and third Saturday of the month.  The San Francisco location was on that initial list. But Assembly District 19 will now have two offices open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every Saturday:

• 1377 Fell St, San Francisco
• 1500 Sullivan Ave, Daly City

Online appointments may be made up to 90 days ahead of time here. This is a good opportunity for Californians to upgrade their driver license to a Real ID. To see what documents you need to bring for this new, federally-compliant identification card, please click here.

Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, released the following statement about the State Legislature’s passage of the 2018-2019 budget for California.  An Assembly Budget Committee overview of the spending plan is available here. Ting’s statement is as follows:

This budget makes the right investments and reflects many of California’s values. Not only does it address our homeless crisis with unprecedented funding, it also devotes resources to our youth with a mission to end deep poverty for children, record per-pupil spending for K-12 education and no tuition hikes for UC & CSU students. In addition, we’re laying the foundation for universal health care and will continue fighting for increased access and coverage. And still, we are able to set aside a sizeable reserve. That’s a spending plan we can be proud of.

Hate crime reporting in California will improve under a law just signed by Governor Brown. AB 1985 from Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) sets minimum standards for hate crime policies adopted by local law enforcement agencies. Because California does not require agencies to have a hate crime policy, how such incidents are handled or reported can vary or be inconsistent throughout the state. This leads to inaccurate data. The new law comes on the heels of last month’s State Audit that found hate crimes are under-reported by 14%  in California due, in part, to outdated policies, if any existed at all.

 “We can’t stop the problem unless we know how big it is,” said Ting. “My bill requires law enforcement to use the same language and follow the same reporting procedures so that we can get an accurate picture of the prevalence of hate crimes in California. We live in a divided America these days, and a policy like this is important now more than ever.”

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) and Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) are proud to say the Assembly budget plan has $17.1 billion in reserves – larger than the general funds of 34 states.

They agree with the Governor that now is the time to fill the rainy day fund – the brainchild of Assembly Democrats – ahead of schedule. In this $140 billion budget, they take another step by proposing a new state savings account. They are planning ahead to save even more money after we fill the rainy day fund.

"California’s healthy economy and job market give us an opportunity to improve the lives of those who aren’t seeing the benefits of these prosperous times. Our Assembly budget plan will help local leaders address the homeless crisis, put the state on the path to universal healthcare, and ensure higher education is accessible and affordable. It’s also a responsible spending plan that leaves our state with a sizable reserve in case of an economic downturn," said Ting.

“We are proud to say our budget plan has $17.1 billion in reserves – larger than the general funds of 34 states,” said Speaker Rendon. “Our plan also invests in California’s future. There are three primary categories of investments in the Assembly’s budget: healthcare, education and homelessness.”